章節 47: 046 Creating a Conglomerate (Part Two)
Trisha was unable to accept that Cat showed up to the meeting; her guild earned twice as much as her own! What does she need this kind of deal for? Cat was the leader of the 4th ranked Merchant guild, Prime Opportunity.
Out of irritation she turned to James, "What the hell is this about? Did you hire her to put pressure on me to accept your business deal?!"
James frowned, Trisha was being very rude. "I was not told who would show up. This is the first time I have met Cat."
Mercury saw that James was upset and wanted to throttle Trisha but James waved it off.
"Cat, thank you for joining us. Please have a seat." James continued the meeting.
Cat sat down on the other side of Ryan and gave greetings to everyone in the room. James caught her up to everything he talked about up until now.
"It seems almost too good to be true." Cat mentioned.
"It may seem so but there is a large amount of work your two groups will need to do. As for the start up capital I currently have 15 gold coins in liquid assets to pump into the business with the ability to generate more." James liked Cat more than Trisha. He was able to feel a large difference with how the two women carried themselves.
Both Cat and Trisha were surprised at the amount. "That might be a lot of money but it isn't enough to be able to buy up all of the available materials currently on the market place. Trisha continued to show her discontent in the business.
Cat wanted to investigate a few things, "Since you would be the hidden owner and be the primary investor I guess you will want a large return on your investment, is that correct?"
James didn't try to hide his goals at all, "Yes, I will take the majority of the profits. I plan on taking 70% of the income. The remaining 30% will be split between the two guilds who sign the business agreement."
Trisha was unhappy about the split. "You expect us to do all the work but get such a low payout?"
Cat showed her maturity, she had a feeling that there was more to James's story. She thought about it for a while when Trisha was complaining.
Cat interrupted Trisha, "You said that both the gathering guild and the merchant guilds will work together. You also mentioned that Ryan's guild would have access to rarer materials and resources. I assume that would also apply to the merchant guild somehow. That is included in how we are going to share the profits. Am I right?"
Both James and Mercury were more impressed with Cat then with Trisha. "You are right, before any profit is shared resources take first priority. They will come first so that everyone is well off. We want to promote the organization's growth first and foremost. The only exception is if my group needs specific resources; only then do we come first."
Cat thought it was a good idea. [He has thought about many details of this business plan.]
Cat looked over at Trisha, she could only shake her head. [This is why the Profiteers will be stagnant. Trisha doesn't work with others and cannot land any business deals due to her greed. She is too hot headed to look at the big picture; she always tries to put her interest over anything else.]
"That only further fuels your profit. At the end of the day, the only thing we merchant guilds care about is profit. If we are not making money then we are not satisfied. My guild focuses on being merchants to convert the game's currency to real world currency. We moved our businesses into the game, 15% is not going to cut it." Trisha was a greedy woman.
James looked at Cat and sent her a private message.
[- Blaise: Does your guild have the same belief as Trisha's? -]
[- Cat: Not really. She is not completely wrong, most of the merchant guilds are looking to turn Breaking Chains currency into money in the real world. Unlike her guild, I can see the larger picture. -]
James pretty much had made a decision at this point. If Cat would not accept the deal, he would look elsewhere. He did not want to do business with Trisha. "I don't believe you understand just what kind of funding I can bring to the table. 15 gold is just a starting point; I can easily double that amount in a week."
In reality James could double it the same day. Well, that was if the top guilds had the funds to spend. His Runes easily turned him into the wealthiest player in the game. Once the guilds had enough time to restock their treasury's he would sell good quality runes again. Even if they couldn't afford the better quality runes, he could just sell subpar runes for lower amounts.
"Aren't you all curious about why I had to sign an NDA? The information so far didn't really call for one after all." James wanted to give Trisha one last chance.
"I think it has something to do with the exotic goods you mentioned before. I have been eagerly waiting to hear about them." Ryan was the most patient of the bunch.
James really liked Ryan, "You are right."
Mercury was leaning forwards with her elbows on the table and her chin resting on her hands. She was just enjoying listening and watching James work his magic.
James took out three runes he had made in the past, they were the defense runes he had been saving. He showed one to each of his potential business partners.
They were surprised, these runes never touched the Auction House. If they did the whole game would be in an uproar by now.
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Minor Rune of Defense
Can be used to enchant armor.
Effect: 15 points to defense.
Creator Alias : Magicks
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Trisha was the first to jump on the topic, "These runes haven't even hit the market place! The players in the game would have gone nuts!"
Cat was also surprised. She had some suspicions. "How did you come across these runes?"
James kept the truth to himself. He told them a story he made up in preparation for this meeting. "Magicks contacted me shortly after I got my hidden class. We made a partnership; if I supply him with his needs he will supply me with his surplus of runes. So far I have a few dozen runes ready to hit the market."
The room was silent. Only deep breathing could be heard. Dollar signs were present in Trisha's eyes. Ryan, however, had a different kind of look, he wanted to tap into Magicks's knowledge of Rune Crafting. Cat was the most calm; it all started to make sense now.
When Cat first entered the room she was just curious what the famous Blaise was cooking up. She thought his plan was very sound and had great potential at a business standpoint. The only problem was the startup capital. While his original offer of 15 gold coins was huge, based on his ambitions, it would have fallen short. This runes however? It would make it very possible. She now knew why James seemed so confident that his plan would work out.
"Could we talk to Magicks?" Trisha wanted to bypass the middleman. If she could get the mysterious Rune Master to make a deal with her then there would be no need for Blaise.
Mercury could tell that she was up to no good. James messaged her before she could warn him.
[- Blaise: Our target business partners are Ryan and Cat. Trisha is blacklisted. -]
He was decisive, in the past he was too trusting. He determined that the people he meets in the future will have to earn his trust. Ryan and Cat only earned a little bit of his trust; he determined that they were nowhere close enough to know about his true abilities.
James stopped including Trisha in the discussion, "Cat, Ryan.. Do you have any questions?"
"Is it possible for me to send some of my Rune Masters to apprentice under Magicks? We will be very happy to sign a contract with both Magicks and yourself." Ryan looked at James with hopeful eyes.
It almost hurt James to shoot Ryan down, "Sorry, as of now I am unable to disclose Magicks's whereabouts, what he is doing, and the full details of our partnership."
Ryan sighed; it was not that he was being greedy but he wanted to help his friends grow. He has talked with the few people who managed to become Rune Masters. It was a brutal profession to get into. If there was a chance to help them even in the slightest he would give an arm and a leg for it. "No problem, I understand the circumstances."
Cat wanted to ask a question but Trisha cut her off. "What are you providing him?"
James was running out of patience dealing with Trisha, "The deal with him is that he has first dibs on any item my group gets from elite, violent, boss, dungeons, and eventually raids. On top of that, if there is an item from the marketplace he is interested in I buy it for him. Just like myself, he is too busy with his studies to do anything else. Also, if he needs protection in the Zones we provide it"
Being a businesswoman Trisha was depressed about James's response. [Drat, I might have been able to go over Blaise's head if I could better provide Magicks's wants and needs. He might be lying about the NDA. Regardless if the NDA is real or not he wouldn't willingly give up such a cash cow.]
James didn't want Trisha in on the final part of the business deal discussion, it was about time he kicked her out. "Cat, how interested are you in signing the contract?"
"You aren't going to ask me?" Trisha once again interrupted.
James ignored Trisha and kept his vision on Cat.
Cat gave a gentle smile, she had a very professional appearance. It showed her sincerity. "I am very interested."
James stood up and offered a handshake to both Ryan and Cat. He then turned to Trisha, who had already extended her hand to shake as well. "Trisha, I would like to ask you to leave. The final parts of the discussion will not include you."
Splash, cold water poured over Trisha. Her face turned bright red.
"You are joking right!" Trisha was furious.
James set the record straight, "You have been rude through the meeting, that behavior is unacceptable. You also were looking for potential ways to bypass me and get the Magicks. I am no fool. Please leave or I will get Reaper to escort you out. Don't forget the game enforces its various contracts. It is impossible for you to talk in game but the NDA also applies outside of the game. I am sure Cat wouldn't mind providing me with your real name if you were to breach our agreement."
Cat added fuel to the burning bridge, "Yes, our companies once had a business deal. I would be happy to provide you with that information."
Trisha's face turned from red to pale. She knew that Cat would sell her out in a moment's notice. Their past business deal fell through because she had made some critical mistakes… "Fine, I will make sure to play by your rules."
Trisha stormed out and the meeting finally settled down.
James turned to look at Ryan and Cat, "I am sorry you had to see such a sight when we are trying to negotiate business terms."
Ryan had kept his happy look throughout the entire meeting. "I don't mind it at all! At this point I am just along for the ride. I plan on signing the contract; there is nothing but benefits for my guild."
Cat also didn't mind, "I should have asked Talon who the other attending people were. If I knew it was Trisha I would have come sooner. I know how she can be. I could have saved us some time."
They all returned to sitting down at the table. It was time for James to reveal his final cards.
James surprised the duo. "As both of you know, I have a hidden class. The name of it is Spell Waver. Like the name suggests, I can create custom spells."
"Wait, what? Your own spells?" Cat almost stuttered.
While combat was not allowed in the city, there was no system that would prevent people from using their abilities. James used Engulfing Vines to demonstrate his class abilities.
Ryan was a melee class but Cat was a Mage. James's spell was unlike anything she saw before. It was miles ahead of what the game naturally provided. The spell didn't make sense to her. "What is the spell's name?"
"Engulfing Vines." replied James.
"Vines? They should be classified as earth magic. That is obviously a fire spell. Earth and fire magic, nor any other elements, can mix together." she was thinking of any logic that proves that James was joking around.
"The original spell was indeed an earth spell. I got a skill book for Trapping Vines from the Devil's Ivy boss that Reaper and I killed. I gave that spell to Totem, who in turn let me observe and learn how to create the spell. All I had to do was modify it to my liking." James then posted a description of the spell for Ryan and Cat to see.
Ryan was mystified at James's ability. It made sense that it was a SSS ranked class. Cat was still trying to wrap her head around things.
"How do you create spells?" She bluntly asked.
James didn't want to give out that kind of information to them, "Sorry, I do not wish to talk about the foundation of my class. I hope you understand."
She sighed, Naturally people would want to keep secrets. She was unable to deny the existence of a spell with mixed elements, James provided hard evidence that he was telling the truth. "Why tell us that you can make spells? There is more to your plan."
James put on a gentle smile. In typical fashion Ryan and Cat mistook it as a devious one. "I can transfer my spells into enchanted books. In other words, I can create skill books that other people can use to learn my spells."
He dropped the final bomb on the two of them. The NDA protected the information he was providing and he also kept his most important secrets. Ryan was completely onboard but he needed this final bait to lure Cat in. She would understand the outcome of his ability the best.
Before Cat could ask any questions, James pulled out a blank book and showed them it's current state. It was just an ordinary blank book. He then used his class ability and magic symbols and runes floated in the air between James and the book he was holding. Mana flowed from James into the book. An aura formed on the surface of the book until a flash happened.
James then showed them the updated book.
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Spell Name: Engulfing Vines
Level: 1
Effect: Summons 4 trapping vines made from fire that will target enemies around them on their own. If successful; the vines keep the target trapped until one of three conditions are met. First, the vines are cut from a third party. Second, the target takes damage from any source. Third, the duration of the spell runs out. Any target trapped in the vines takes 5 points of damage per second until freed. Multiple vines can trap the same target.
Damage: 3 damage per second affected by a vine.
Duration: 5 seconds
Cost: 15mana per second
Creator: Blaise
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The book changed in front of their own eyes. There simply was no denying it.
The only difference between the skill description and the known skill book was the stats of the spell. James found out he had control of certain aspects of the spell at the time he was enchanting a book.
He knew that his spells were too powerful to freely distribute as they were. He experimented and found that while he couldn't improve the spell he was engraving into the book, he could reduce its properties.
"Lets sign the contract. I, the representative and leader of Prime Opportunity, accept your business deal." Cat couldn't pass the opportunity up. Runes were one thing but skill books? Their cost would never fall.
Runes would become more and more common as time went on. First there were the natural sources like bosses, dungeons, and raids. Then, other Rune Masters would eventually become successful enough to cut into Magicks's market.
Skill books would hold their values over time. While the average skill book could be farmed, there would be less undercutting in the long run. Skills could make or break the class's performance.
Then there is the fact that James's skill books contained custom made spells and abilities. They were one of a kind; meaning they could control the number of books appearing on the market. Supply would be kept below the demand so their prices would be mountainous.
[Man did Trisha miss the opportunity of a lifetime.] Cat thought to herself.
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